Relay rules the testimony of receiving and following the rules

When it comes to any sport there are rules given to the participant and if those rules are not followed it leads to disqualification because the aim is not to finish but to have dignity in what you do by following the rules. We have coach in all sport, I mean that one leader who will guide you all the steps of the race and remember that his/her duty is to teach you about rules to follow and also to prepare you by training you for the race so note that he/she won’t run the race for you so he/she is just there to guide you.

RELAY
In relay we have four players whom they all take different positions in different ways, the rules are not the same so each and every athlete has its own rules to carry on with the journey. During the relay race if one member of the team brake one of the rules given the whole team is disqualified so it doesn’t matter if it was the first person who broke the rule or the last one so the fact is they are a team so if one of the team members does not follow the rules the whole team get punished for it.
As quoted from the book of 2 Timothy 2: 5 “And also if anyone compete in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules”. Just remember that to be a team player is about forgetting about who you are and what you really want because a TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) is about making sure that when you succeed the other members of the team also succeed because in a team a failure or a down fall of one member is a down fall to all the group members because it is not about who did well and followed the rules so the fact of the matter is that at end the results were not what is needed because rules were broken.
Rules of being a team player are different to individual rules in relay because a team is all about “us” not “me” so in order to be a team player you have to deny yourself first. In order to be part of the group you have to forget about yourself and think of the next person you’re working with. There will be many things that will not be easy along the way on the team playing role because different ideas will be thrown so when making decision it has to be that one that will also accommodate the other members.
In Luke 9: 23 “Then he said to them all, If anyone desire to come after Me, Let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me”.
In a team there is a leader so if we are all in one team we have to forget about our interest and desires than make every team effort according to the leader’s rules and only do what pleases him. In the verse I quoted above is Jesus talking to the people who were following him so he was telling them the rules that people should follow if they want to come with him and the fact that at the end of the verse he said: “and take up your cross daily and follow me” it explains how team should work so it implies that even the leader of the team has his own duty to carry with along the way so to every member should also carry his/her own duty. So on the verse Jesus does not say “and take up my cross but your cross” which implies everyone will be doing his part in the walking with Jesus even if they are one team and the race begins. The aim of a team is not to compete but is to help each other along the way and by helping I don’t mean to do the duty of the other member “NO” however to give the other member advices on how to handle the issue of his duty like Jesus with his Disciples so his duty was to guide them and is up to them to choose the way to death or a way to life.
In John 14:5-6 “Thomas said to Him: Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way? Jesus said to him: I am the way, the truth and the life, No one comes to the Father except through me”. In a team we all know there is no way we can win unless we follow instruction of the leader or the coach so he is the only way to a healthy winning goal for a team so without a leader the team won’t have direction of where they are going.
Rule of receiving and releasing
Receiving of the stick in Relay it also have a rule and one of its important rules is that you only look at your team player when he is coming towards you however you can’t receive the stick looking at him/her and even when it comes to the other team member the important rules is that he doesn’t have to give you the stick and then stop so he/she has to run with you holding the other end of the stick while the receiver also hold the other end so the one who gives away the stick will only release when he/she is quite sure that you got the stick and after receiving it you don’t have to look back so you move forward, If you look back at the team member who gave you the stick there are 100% chances that you might drop it.
In Luke 14: 25-26 “Now great multitudes went with Him, And He turned and said to them If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple”.
How many times do we say we a born again and we have left what we were doing before however when the situation or the hardship of the world comes we intend to go back to our old life? Just like in Relay all you have to do is to look where you are going which is the finish line and note that on your way to the finish line you have to follow rules given to you or else you’ll think you are done than realize that you did it wrong and you have to start again and remember it might be too late to start again for you as a person so the most important thing you have to know that you are running your own race so you’re not competing with anyone so why waste your life trying to test other things of life before you can take the right path? Take the right path while you’re still young so that you won’t regret later.
A STORY OF TWO BEST FRIENDS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

There were two good friends who grew up together and also went to same school, this two friends are also born again and go to the same church. The different between the two is that one does believe in the things of dating while the other one does not understand why she should engage in dating staff:
Mary: Friend just tell me this, what is your purpose in dating and what exactly do you benefit from it?
Sarah: My purpose of dating is to get married because you can’t marry someone you don’t know so I believe first you have to date to see if he is the right one for you.
Mary: I understand you so as a friend if I may ask how many guys you dated not counting the one you’re dating now. And also tell me what made you broke up with each one of them
Sarah: I have dated two guys before this one and when the relationship goes on I started to realize that there things they do which am against them and that they are not my types.
The moral of this story above is that “why do you have to test drive yourself with other people while you can wait when GOD will give you your life partner”, Just imagine if Mary was a car, in your mind imagine how many kilometers she has already reached so in other way she is a used goods and she lost value because if she was a car bought at a price of R120 000 she can’t be sold in that amount again because she is no longer new. So don’t test drive yourself for the sake of pleasure and the sake of fitting in as in the book of Jeremiah 29: 11 “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and hope”, Just like in Relay the team leader gives you rules of the game so why intend to do it on your own terms in the reason of saying “I want to see what will happen after” and clearly you know you will have to start again because you’ll be disqualified so Jesus says I have plans for you and those plans are not to harm you but are to give you future and hope, the things of this world we do they waste us and hope is not too late to let GOD take control of your life and stop test driving your life.

THE FINISH LINE OF RELAY
The race comes to an end the winning team will get their rewards from the judges however everyone will also be thanked for his/her part in the winning so it is a team yes however in the end you’ll be individuals as the judges will pick the winning group by looking at each individual member’s road to the finish line that he/she followed the rules given than if all rules are followed individually than now they look at the team as a whole that did it do what a group has to do than the winning medals will be given.
As I have quoted in the book of Luke 9: 23 when Jesus the person who want to go with him should carry his cross and follow him, even in Relay you carry your own rules as you follow each other to the winning line. Choose between death and life while you’re still young and fulfill the word of GOD from the book of Philippians 4: 4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to GOD; and the peace of GOD, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.
“Don’t be anxious for nothing” you may think the mistakes you made in the past has ruined your future however the word of GOD say don’t be anxious for nothing so invite GOD in your life now and rejoice forever.